iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Use this board for general non-cycling-related chat, or to introduce yourself to the forum.
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Mick F »

Mick F wrote:Just sorted Alexa.
Trouble with Alexa, is that it's always listening, and you can't turn the telly off.
Try, and the led light blinks red/green, but then goes back to green. The telly (and Alexa) are still on and you can't turn it off.

Went to the settings for Alexa, and put it to off.
The set will then turn off properly and the led turns red.
If we want Alexa to run, we'll enable it first.

Jdsk wrote:
Mick F wrote:Talking of connecting stuff, the iMac has wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. It would be good to connect those up to control the telly more easily.

Is that possible with that Toshiba television?
I doubt it.
We have a wired keyboard too, but I doubt that would work either.
If I'm bored one day, I'll have a play.

Mrs Mick F has agreed about the bracket and where she wants it, so I've ordered one. Should be with us in a day or three, and as the telly weighs so little, I can fit the bracket to it, and then offer the whole thing up in the corner whilst she says, "Left a bit, right a bit, down a bit." :lol:
Even if I screw it onto the wall, it's not the end of the world as I can drill more holes and fit it somewhere different. They're only holes, and can be filled with filler, as we plan on a full redecoration in the livingroom in the next month or so.

Talking of which, we drove to Currys yesterday and wanted to go into CarpetRight to look at rugs.
CarpetRight was closed for the duration.

Which gets me onto my hobby-horse.
Why is WH Smiths open to buy books, when shoe-shops and shoe repairers are closed? Why are books essential when shoes aren't?
How can you buy a telly, when you can't buy shoes - except from a supermarket?
Mick F. Cornwall
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Jdsk »

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm enjoying talking to the Amazon Fire Remote. It works and avoids the gonad-ache of scrolling, selecting and all that mullarky that we used to have to do. Talking to things has to be the way forward.

It's definitely worth experimenting.

Jonathan
kwackers
Posts: 15643
Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by kwackers »

Bonefishblues wrote:I'm enjoying talking to the Amazon Fire Remote. It works and avoids the gonad-ache of scrolling, selecting and all that mullarky that we used to have to do. Talking to things has to be the way forward.

I use voice for a lot of stuff, although mostly through Alexa.
She's tied up to my home automation and through that can run most things, notably search on devices and apps like Spotify.

I've never bothered with voice on a home PC though because I find it just gets in the way.
(Keyboard shortcuts and touch typing at >60wpm helps here)
kwackers
Posts: 15643
Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by kwackers »

Jdsk wrote:Quite a lot of different things... but not much artwork, and I'd guess pretty light on the touchpads compared to some other users. And most of the gesture recognition in them is turned off.

Jonathan

Ah right.
Hate touchpads, I have to be desperate to use them. First thing I do with my mac is plug a mouse in.

Funnily enough, my Mac will no longer boot into MacOS. For some reason it suddenly decided one day that it would never run boot camp and always boots into windows.
I googled and tried all sorts of things but it doesn't seem to think the MacOS partition is bootable anymore.
I had an external back up of the OS so when I need MacOS I just boot from that instead.
User avatar
al_yrpal
Posts: 11537
Joined: 25 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
Location: Think Cheddar and Cider
Contact:

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by al_yrpal »

I agree about on screen keyboards, terribly tedious. My new Lenovo Android tablet just asked me to repeat some phrases presumably so I can drive it by voice?

I can get Alexa to turn my TV on, ask it about the weather, get it to play a track but cant get it to turn the tv off? It says it doesnt know the device tv!

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Jdsk »

From another thread:

... if you can tell me how to cast screens from an iPad to your telly I would be grateful. My partner has an iPad and I cant get that to work.

Screen mirroring works fine from my Android tablet but with the iPad it doesnt. I select screen mirroring on the Apple device and Wireless Display on the telly but nothing happens and the iPad comes up with something called Apple TV which I have never heard of? I dont find Apple devices very inuitive.

I use screen mirroring (sometimes called casting) to look at my photos and videos, it great.

Apple TV is a hardware device that can do a lot of different things including managing audio and video content to TVs and sound systems, "tuning" to many different internet sources, and casting from iPhones, iPads and tablets.

At the moment there are two versions: HD and 4K:
https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-tv-4k/

Jonathan

OTOH Apple TV+ is an internet television channel:
https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-tv-app/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV%2B
Last edited by Jdsk on 16 Mar 2021, 5:21pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Jdsk »

... if you can tell me how to cast screens from an iPad to your telly I would be grateful. My partner has an iPad and I cant get that to work.

Screen mirroring works fine from my Android tablet but with the iPad it doesnt. I select screen mirroring on the Apple device and Wireless Display on the telly but nothing happens and the iPad comes up with something called Apple TV which I have never heard of? I dont find Apple devices very inuitive.

I use screen mirroring (sometimes called casting) to look at my photos and videos, it great.

I"m waiting to hear if the OP can throw to the new TV without another device. That wasn't in the requirements.

Jonathan

PS: Some people distinguish between sharing and casting but it's a fine point.
Last edited by Jdsk on 16 Mar 2021, 5:24pm, edited 2 times in total.
Bonefishblues
Posts: 11011
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Bonefishblues »

kwackers wrote:
Jdsk wrote:Quite a lot of different things... but not much artwork, and I'd guess pretty light on the touchpads compared to some other users. And most of the gesture recognition in them is turned off.

Jonathan

Ah right.
Hate touchpads, I have to be desperate to use them. First thing I do with my mac is plug a mouse in.


Me too - proper, wired gear too (keyboard incl) - on a 2021 iMac :lol:
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Mick F »

Disaster!

Watching the telly - Goodnight Sweetheart (now into series four with the new Yvonne and the new Phoebe) - and I dropped the remote onto the floor. No probs, picket it up off the carpet, and carried on watching.

Later, we realised the two year old Border Collie doggie was playing with something. Finally extricated from his gob, and didn't put two and two together and wondered what this chewed bit of black plastic was.

It was only this morning when I turned on Radio Four that I realised what it was! :lol:
TV Remote Cover.jpg
Mick F. Cornwall
kwackers
Posts: 15643
Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by kwackers »

Mick F wrote:Disaster!

Watching the telly - Goodnight Sweetheart (now into series four with the new Yvonne and the new Phoebe) - and I dropped the remote onto the floor. No probs, picket it up off the carpet, and carried on watching.

Later, we realised the two year old Border Collie doggie was playing with something. Finally extricated from his gob, and didn't put two and two together and wondered what this chewed bit of black plastic was.

It was only this morning when I turned on Radio Four that I realised what it was! :lol:

I'd simply see that as an excuse to buy a 3d printer. ;)
User avatar
al_yrpal
Posts: 11537
Joined: 25 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
Location: Think Cheddar and Cider
Contact:

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by al_yrpal »

Gaffer tape! :lol: Dogged by problems...

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Mick F »

:lol: :lol:

Plan, is for Mrs Mick F to write a very nice and polite letter to Mr Toshi-wots-his-name, and ask nicely for a new cover.
She's good at writing poems (Pam Ayres sort of things) and could compose one perhaps.

Many years ago when we drove a Mini or two, I bought a pair of halogen headlights. Mini headlights were sealed beam thingies and not the brightest, so the halogen units were far better in Norman (we always name our cars). Bought them as a pair from Ring and they only sold pairs.

One day, Norman was hit by a stone and one of the lamps cracked. Didn't want to buy another pair, so Mrs Mick F wrote a poem to Ring. They replied with their own poem as well as a freebie single lamp! :D

We'll dig out the poems later today. Maybe have to type them out as they're all in a handwritten book.
Mick F. Cornwall
Bonefishblues
Posts: 11011
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Bonefishblues »

Is she still working on her Ode to Technology Convergence?
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by thirdcrank »

Mick F wrote::lol: :lol:

Plan, is for Mrs Mick F to write a very nice and polite letter to Mr Toshi-wots-his-name, and ask nicely for a new cover.
She's good at writing poems (Pam Ayres sort of things) and could compose one perhaps. ....


Somebody beat you to it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l6OceuNRfo
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: iMac problem - replacement but not a computer?

Post by Mick F »

Here's her poem regarding Norman's headlight.

Norman’s Sight
16 Sept 1991

I have a little car, you know.
His name is Norman, right?
And recently I bought for him
The power of second sight.

This aged and tired plucky friend
With much rejuvenation
Watched everything come into view
With true illumination.

As time ticked by, we felt secure
It sparked in Norm, new light.
Until one day in great alarm
I had an awful fright!

A broken glass! (just on one side)
Peered back at me askance.
Poor Normy-warm, with sight askew,
Begged for another chance.

Alas, so far I’ve had no luck
Please understand my plight.
He desperately needs one new glass
I daren’t give up the fight.

With Halogenic Radiance
We’ll travel miles together
With Norman’s vision quite restored,
We’ll brave inclement weather.

My childish verse is at an end
We put our faith in you
I’m sure that you appreciate
Norm can’t be fixed with glue!
Mick F. Cornwall
Post Reply